Silas hadn't expected that in just half a year, Newgate would pull off such a feat. He'd adopted the future Emperor, a fighter who'd one day stand on equal footing with him, the so-called strongest creature: Hundred Beasts Kaido, as his adopted son!
For a moment, Silas's gaze toward Newgate became peculiar. He'd only recruited crew members, but Newgate went straight to adopting others as sons!
However, current Kaido naturally couldn't compare with his future self, because he was only five years old! Though only five, five-year-old Kaido was already nearly three meters tall.
"Bastard, who's your adopted son?" Summoned by Newgate, Kaido looked displeased. If not for Newgate providing food and shelter, how could he possibly accept being called an adopted son? Though Newgate had indeed treated him well.
With two horns on his head and a spiked club on his shoulder, the stocky little boy strutted before Silas arrogantly. "Who's this shorty?"
Before nearly three-meter-tall Kaido, Silas could indeed be called "shorty." Then Kaido got beaten.
"Idiot, this is my captain, also your captain. Whose money do you think pays for your daily meals?"
"Don't tell me—"
"Exactly. If you want to eat your fill in the future, show some respect!" Since most New World nations were under the White Wolf Pirates' protection, the Whitebeard Pirates didn't plunder like traditional pirates. Instead, they frequently attacked other pirate crews, but this made their income unstable, often requiring subsidies from the White Wolf Pirates.
"Moreover, don't judge Captain by height. He's the world's strongest man. Even ten of me might not be Captain's match!" Other words aside, hearing Newgate say ten of him weren't Silas's match, the young Kaido immediately showed solemn respect.
He was born in a nation living by conquest and plunder. In that nation, only the strong could eat their fill and gain slight dignity. Yet such a nation's military was utterly helpless before Newgate. Newgate merely raised his fist once, destroying an entire nation's army, tearing apart the entire island.
And such a Newgate admits not being Silas's match? Kaido gripped his spiked club tightly, seemingly wanting to gauge whether Silas truly possessed Newgate's claimed strength.
"If I were you, I wouldn't do that." Seeing young Kaido's restlessness, Silas smiled. At his age, he wouldn't excessively bother with a five-year-old child. "Rashly provoking enemies of unknown strength isn't a wise choice."
Talent was important, but the ability to realize that talent was equally important. Silas might not bother with children, but other pirates were unpredictable. Never overestimate pirates' morals.
"However, words alone prove nothing. Without witnessing personally, you probably won't be convinced either." Silas suddenly looked at Newgate. "How about it? Want to help out? Let me see what level your current strength has reached?"
"Good!" Hearing Silas's invitation, Newgate agreed without hesitation. This was also why he wanted to return to Sphinx. Half a year ago, encountering Haines Oran wasn't without reason. Not accidental, but deliberately seeking the vacationing Haines Oran. Who knew Haines Oran was such a coward? He'd just shattered Haines Oran's created ice prison with one punch, frightening Haines Oran from battling him.
So after so long, Newgate didn't know what level his strength had reached.
"Let's try on a nearby island." Currently, merchant ship people have gradually awakened. They didn't yet know what had happened, only remembering that upon recovery, they were being plundered.
"What the hell?! Why did I black out?!"
"Where are those damned pirates? Weren't they boarding?"
"Are those two ships attacking us?"
Looking carefully, people suddenly discovered two ships beside their merchant ship. The ships' flags were strikingly similar. Most importantly, they'd seen this flag somewhere. Hey, wasn't it the flag on their merchant ship?
Then they learned from the merchant captain that White Wolf Pirates and the subordinate Whitebeard Pirates passing by had saved them. Otherwise, the merchant ship would've been invaded by enemies.
Hearing the answer, the merchants' just-relaxed breath immediately tensed again. You said who? They'd been guessing those two ships might be White Wolf Pirates vessels. Just the White Wolf Pirates had dozens of subordinate crews, all flying white wolf flags. They'd thought these ships were just two subordinate crews.
Who knew they weren't subordinate crews at all? They WERE the White Wolf Pirates! Even White King Silas himself was on that smaller ship. That the Millennium Falcon could change size was no longer a secret. So many merchants didn't doubt that, though the pirate ship before them was smaller than the merchant ship, its actual size probably exceeded two or three merchant ships combined!
"Mr. Silas came too?" Sitting on a bubble lifebuoy, hearing Silas's news, Kokoro's eyes immediately sparkled. Since last seeing Silas, many years had passed. Back then, she was just an underage little mermaid, but now she'd matured!
Even among mermaids possessing considerable beauty, Kokoro had abandoned Fish-Man Island's comfortable life, choosing, like ordinary merchants, to trade while risking slave-hunting crews' capture. Wasn't it all just to see Silas once more?
Reality was often crueler than imagination. Even with Silas constantly suppressing slavery, he could only restrain New World slave trading. Five years ago, he'd destroyed Sabaody Archipelago's local slave market, but five years later, a new trafficking center brazenly reopened at Sabaody Archipelago.
Moreover, because Silas liberated Mary Geoise's slaves, Mary Geoise lacked slave laborers, so the Celestial Dragons began massively purchasing slaves again. The slave market was hotter than ever! Female mermaids like Kokoro had auction prices at slave markets already exceeding 100 million Berry, still considered priceless.
So even though Kokoro had purchased numerous goods trading between islands, in truth, among her cargo, the most valuable item was herself! But Kokoro would never treat herself as merchandise, because Silas had said he wanted to give people freedom, whether humans or merfolk!